IT researcher among the finalists of the Altice International Innovation Award 2018

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IT researcher among the finalists of the Altice International Innovation Award 2018

on 07-10-2018

Vanessa Duarte is one of the finalists of the Altice International Innovation Award 2018. The researcher from IT in Aveiro and the University of Aveiro presented a photonic processor thinking about the next generation of communication satellites. The competition will take place this October 10 in Lisbon. Each candidate will do a pitch for a jurí of several personalities with multiple skills. The winner will receive a prize in the amount of 25.000€.

The work that Vanessa Duarte will present was carried out during her PhD in Physical Engineering at IT, under the supervision of Rogério Nogueira and Miguel Drummond (both researcher from IT in Aveiro and UA) and at the IHP - Leibniz-Institut für innovative Mikroelektronik (Germany), under the supervision of Lars Zimmermann. The work was developed within the framework of the European project BEACON where companies such as Airbus Defense and Space participated.

"The project consisted in developing a photonic processor integrated in a silicon chip to be applied in the new generation of telecommunications satellites in order to reduce the weight, cost and energy consumption of the satellite, yet increasing the capacity of data transmission and, which is very important, to give the satellite a flexible coverage. The launching of new generation satellites will bridge the existing digital gap and bring the Internet to rural and remote sites where it does not exist, "explains Vanessa Duarte. According to the researcher, "this innovation also opens the way for the introduction of emerging technologies in satellite communication services, namely 5G and IoT services".

The Altice International Innovation Award 2018 is an initiative that includes Portugal, France and Israel and aims to promote and aknowledge entrepreneurship and technological talent, contributing to greater development and competitiveness in the markets where Altice operates.